Reviewing Retro Games of the 80's and 90's

Genesis Review – Alisia Dragoon

Alisia Dragoon is one of those game I have been trying to find for months as it’s a hidden gem I never had the chance to play as a kid. I recently found it in by one of my local video game stores for a decent price, so I picked it up and haven’t been disappointed!

The story is rather simple but gets the job done. It revolves around a warrior named Alicia, who along with her four dragon pets, must work to save the world! A giant object called the Silver Star has fallen from the sky, and with it, an army of evil monsters that must be destroyed! This simple story lays the foundation for a fun and engaging game!

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At its core, Alisia Dragoon is a 2D action platforming game – but it also has some RPG elements (to be discussed later)! You take control of Alisia and guide her through eight levels by running, jumping, and blasting your way through enemies. The controls are super tight as they should be! Enemies can be dispatched with a homing lighting attack. You have unlimited lighting attacks, but as you attack, they become less powerful as your lighting meter drains. It only takes 5-10 seconds for everything to recharge though, so you just need to time how much and when you attack! If you wait for the whole meter to charge, you can unleash a full-screen attack! While it might seem easy to have the attack automatically hit the enemies, it definitely was not. The tension between attacking or waiting for a full-screen attack to charge was a fun and kept me engaged all the way through the game.

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The game also incorporates RPG elements which helps it feel extremely unique and memorable. Alisia can find items in levels that increase her health and attack powers! In addition, Alisia can call upon little dragon monsters to help her in battle! There are four in total and she can have one out at at time. While out, these monsters float around her and send out attacks (different patterns based on the monster). The monsters can also similarly be levelled up with items found in levels! If you aren’t careful though, they can become incapacitated similar to Alisia. Healing items can be used to heal them, but they are limited in quantity and are mostly located in hidden areas in levels. I loved the addition of friendly monsters and the RPG elements of raising attack power and HP by locating hidden items, as it really encourages the full exploration of levels so that power-ups could be located!

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Initially, I found the bosses extremely difficult, but after a few tries, their patterns are leant and they become much easier. I really enjoyed the variety though, ranging from a couple of ninjas, to swamp monsters, flying monsters, and even a tank! As per usual, the battles do get harder as the game progresses, but I never felt like the were unfair.

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In terms of graphics, the game has a pretty bleak and dark aesthetic but overall is still an impressive 16-bit action platform game! The sprites are detailed, the special effects explosive, and the levels themselves taking place in a wide variety of settings from outdoors, swamps, caves, and towns! The music was were this game really shined (have a listen below) – I was blown away by some of the tunes in this game. The first level music sounds like a fusion of high fantasy music with psychedelic progressive metal. The sound effects were okay, but the music itself was often upbeat and really encouraged the gamer to push forth!

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Overall, Alisia Dragoon is an awesome 16-bit action game on the Sega Genesis that still feels fresh by today’s standards. It takes the 2D action genre and adds RPG elements to make it more engaging and strategic. This is a game that I would call a hidden gem – a super awesome game people didn’t get a chance to play when they were young! Overall, I give this game a final score of 9/10!